We love sharing in experiences of adventure and mirth and we love it when folks upload videos that reflect our verve. Better even, we love it when videos make us want to travel, allowing us to escape the standard day-to-day with a little osmotic goodness.

Introducing Duzer. The latest member of the Travelistic family of producers, Ryan Van Duzer is a Colorado-based filmmaker/host and Peace Corps alum. To put it plainly, his videos kick ass. We shot him a few questions to learn a bit more about the man behind the magic.

What made you want to start making travel vids?
I love telling unique stories and when I travel I always seem to get myself into unique situations. My dream is to work as a travel host, so right now, making short travel videos is a great way to get practice.

What inspires you to travel?
I’m inspired by people. Wherever I’ve go, I always meet amazing people who are willing to show me their culture. I don’t really travel to sit on beaches, I love adventures and getting off the beaten path. I also try and incorporate some sort of volunteering into my travels. I’ve volunteered at orphanages in the Dominican Republic and recently spent two years with the Peace Corps in Honduras. Americans aren’t very popular throughout the world right now and I like to travel to show people the good side of American culture.

What’s the craziest thing you’ve done/seen on the road?
Well, getting my right bicep infested with Bot Flies was pretty funky. I was camping in a rain forest in Belize and woke up with little bumps on my arm, I didn’t think anything of it at the time but three weeks later I had little worms poking their heads in and out of my arm. I couldn’t get them out for the life of me, I tried tweezing them out, pouring alcohol on them, burning them and I even taped a piece of raw meat on my arm in hopes that they would be enticed out and into the meat…didn’t work. They finally came out on their own, two months later in a cheap hotel en El Paso Texas.

Best moment on video?
My best moment on video is when I competed in a goofy dance contest on a popular prime time Honduran Game show. I went to the show just to sit in the audience but got picked to be part of the games. I had no idea what I was doing, the beautiful models tried teaching me the dance but I ended up just going nuts like a dorky white boy. And guess what? I won it anyway.


What’s next?
The World! Although, you don’t always need to travel far to get a good story, sometimes they’re right in your own backyard.

Be sure to check out all the Duzer good times.